In 1957, Robinson was a high-school teen who found his voice as one of the first DJs in Vancouver to play rock ‘n’ roll records.

His Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-worthy story was told in “Red Rock Diner,” a musical that has played in Surrey several times, most recently in the fall of 2015 in an Arts Club on Tour production.

Back in 1998, the original production of the musical starred a young crooner named Michael Bublé when the show toured to Surrey Arts Centre and other theatres in the region.

“I remember him well in that original production, and he was great,” Robinson said in the fall of 2015.

“I went with the show to Toronto and the guy who played the Elvis-like character (Val) was Michael.”

Later, when Bruce Allen sought Robinson’s opinion about whether he should manage Bublé’s music career, the broadcaster was firm and convincing.

“So I’m in Bruce’s office and (producers) Paul Anka and David Foster are on a conference call,” Robinson recalled. “So I tell them, ‘When Bublé played ‘Red Rock Diner,’ all the girls at the stage door were yelling for Michael – like, does that tell you something?’ And at the other end of the phone, Anka says, ‘God, that brings back memories,’” Robinson said with a laugh. “I can’t take credit for Bruce signing him, but he did believe me that I thought this kid was a star. Bruce said it wasn’t his kind of music, but I told him it would be. He signed Michael (to an artist-management contract) and the rest is history.”

The hit musical was written by Dean Regan, who roamed the hallways of King Edward high school with Robinson in the mid-1950s.

“I hadn’t seen him in years but he said he wanted to write a musical about me and those days,” Robinson said of his mid-1990s conversation with Regan. “So he wrote it, and we talked many times about those days, what happened, all the stories.

“But yes, it’s flattering as hell, and when I hear some of the corny lines I used, I turn red in places other than my hair,” he added with a laugh. “But that’s just how it was, and you gotta do it accurately.”